BRONX, N.Y., Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Montefiore Medical Center, in partnership with WESTMED Practice Partners, Inc., today announced an agreement with Simone Healthcare Development Group to lease a new 11-story, 93,000-square-foot medical building in Riverdale. Simone Healthcare Development has acquired the site and will build a highly advanced facility, working closely with Montefiore to suit its specific needs for providing healthcare to the Riverdale community. The new construction project is scheduled to start Nov. 1 and finish approximately 18 months later.

"Montefiore is energized by the vibrant community in Riverdale and we look forward to bringing to the neighborhood the best that Montefiore has to offer -- exceptional physicians and well-coordinated care that is centered around the patients and their families," said Steven M. Safyer, M.D., president and CEO, Montefiore Medical Center. "Our multidisciplinary approach and use of technology makes communicating with your doctor and scheduling appointments effortless."

Montefiore will provide one-stop health care, including urgent care, primary care and a wide variety of specialty services, cardiology, nephrology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, cancer infusion and complete radiology services. WESTMED, which has consistently delivered positive experiences for its Westchester patients, will provide administrative and technological support, along with operational and financial services. Simone Healthcare Development will use its healthcare real estate expertise and specialized design skills to construct a state-of-the-art building that meets Montefiore's patient-focused specifications for this location.

"Given the complexity of medicine today, it's clear that patients prefer the full spectrum of their outpatient healthcare streamlined, coordinated and provided by the finest doctors—all under one roof," added Simeon A. Schwartz, M.D., chairman and CEO of WESTMED Practice Partners, a healthcare management services organization. "This approach not only provides convenience to the patient, but lowers the cost of healthcare."

The Riverdale site will further expand Montefiore's care delivery network in the Bronx. Montefiore and Simone Healthcare Development also are developing the first "hospital without beds," a 280,000-square-foot building located at the Hutchinson Metro Center campus in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx.

"Montefiore and WESTMED continue to be innovators in the hospital industry, leading the way toward the new outpatient service focused model," said Joseph Simone, President of Simone Development. "We're pleased to contribute to the future of healthcare by working with one of New York's finest medical professionals in the planning, development, and management of new ambulatory care facilities."

At the Hutchinson Metro Center, the Montefiore building, currently under construction and scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2014, will house an ambulatory surgery center featuring 12 operating rooms and four procedure rooms, an advanced imaging center, onsite laboratory services and pharmacy, as well as new primary and specialty care practices. An adjacent building in Hutchinson Metro Center is home to Montefiore's Center for Orthopaedic Specialties. Together, these two buildings create Montefiore's fifth campus (Hutchinson Campus), extending its network to a new area of the Bronx.

As the University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore is a premier academic medical center nationally renowned for its clinical excellence, scientific discovery and commitment to its community. Recognized among the top hospitals nationally and regionally by U.S. News & World Report, Montefiore provides compassionate, patient- and family-centered care and educates the healthcare professionals of tomorrow. The Children's Hospital at Montefiore is consistently named in U.S. News' "America's Best Children's Hospitals," and is second among those in the New York metro area. With four hospitals, 1,491 beds and 90,000 annual admissions, Montefiore is an integrated health system seamlessly linked by advanced technology. State-of-the-art primary and specialty care is provided through a network of more than 130 locations across the region, including the largest school health program in the nation and a home health program. Montefiore's partnership with Einstein advances clinical and translational research to accelerate the pace at which new discoveries become the treatments and therapies that benefit patients. The medical center derives its inspiration for excellence from its patients and community, and continues to be on the frontlines of developing innovative approaches to care. For more information please visit www.montefiore.org and www.montekids.org. Follow us on Twitter; like us on Facebook; view us on YouTube.

WESTMED Practice Partners, a management services organization at the forefront of modern medical care, provides a turnkey solution to hospital systems looking to build a free-standing, integrated multi-specialty medical practice that offers a full-range of outpatient services. WPP believes the combination of quality care and clinical efficiency that WPP exemplifies will be the hallmark of successful medical practices in the future.

Simone Healthcare Development Group, a division of Simone Development Companies, partners with healthcare providers to create turnkey ambulatory medical facilities in the New York metropolitan area, with over a million square feet of new healthcare and medical office space currently built or in development. The company establishes long-term relationships with healthcare providers that encompass every aspect of locating, designing, building, and operating a new facility, including Strategic Planning, Site Selection and Acquisition, Design/Construction/Development, Financing/Ownership, and Medical Building Facilities Management. By undertaking expansion in partnership with Simone Healthcare Development, healthcare providers reduce their expenditures on real estate services, freeing up capital for investments in technology, personnel, and other resources that enhance their core businesses.